20/11/2024
Back in August, British Airways (BA) announced its decision to suspend its London Heathrow (LHR) to Beijing (PEK) service from the 26th October, and advised it could last until November 2025.
The decision came from a reduced demand on their LHR to PEK service. With the ban on UK flights over Russian airspace, BA had to adjust their flight routes which meant longer transit times. This resulted in customers looking to other airlines for faster air freight services.
As a result of the Russian airspace bans, we’ve seen an increase in air freight bookings specifically with Chinese airlines, which has caused them to significantly raise their freight rates by almost double in recent weeks. This unfortunately makes these air freight services unaffordable for a lot of UK exporters.
Even though flights are still originating from the UK, Chinese, Japanese and Korean airlines are permitted to fly via Russian airspace.
It’s not just British Airways that have decided to suspend their services to certain Chinese airports, many other European airlines are following suit, such as Finnair, Lufthansa, and LOT Polish Airlines. So why are the airlines pulling out of China?
This all comes down to cost. Fuel is one of the biggest operating costs for airlines and journeys to China have become more expensive due to longer routes to avoid Russian airspace. The longer flights tend to require more crew which further increases the airlines operating costs. Making these services unprofitable for airlines.
So, how can Wallis help with air freight requirements to China?
We always search the market across a variety of airlines, to ensure we are obtaining the best possible rates for all our clients. You may need to consider longer delivery times to keep freight costs down. Or you may be happy to pay the higher rates to ensure your goods get there as quickly as possible.
Whatever your requirements, we will find a solution for your cargo. If you would like to receive a quotation, please contact our sales team [email protected]
